Should there be a legal age for dating

The law also provides for the protection of persons with mental or physical disabilities without any age restrictions.It is important to remember that a young person 16 years of age or more but under 18 years of age cannot consent to sexual activity with someone in a position of trust or authority over them or with someone on whom they are dependent.It is not a criminal offence if: These exceptions only apply if the older person is not in a position of authority or trust and there is no exploitation.For example, even if a 14 year old agreed to sexual activity with her/his 19 year old basketball coach, the law does not consider that the consent was freely given. The law also says that children under 12 years of age can never legally consent to sexual activity. You can show by your words OR actions that you do not consent.Once you show that you no longer agree to the sexual activity, there is no longer consent. Also, consenting to one kind of sexual activity does not mean you consent to any other sexual activity. If you are drinking or high on drugs and unable to make a decision, the law does not consider that you consented. If the person honestly and reasonably believed he or she had your consent to sexual activity, it may be a defence.However, a person cannot use this defence if: Just because you agreed to meet someone, does not mean that you consented to sexual activity.Providing sexually explicit material to a child is “grooming” a child using pornography in order to commit a sexual offence.Luring a child is communicating with a young person using a computer in order to arrange or commit certain sexual offences.

This includes a person on whom the young person is dependent.Sexual assault is forced sexual activity where the person does not physically hurt you.